What are you made of? (1 Pt 1:3-12)

Recap last week

The heads of doctrine contained in it are many, but the main that are most insisted on, are these three, faith, obedience, and patience; to establish them in believing, to direct them in doing and to comfort them in suffering.”

“Is It Cake?” game

What i find so fascinating about this game is that some things are indistinguishable on the outside. Its not until you cut in to it do you find out whats inside. Its not until you test it, that you find out what its really made of.

The reason i use this anology is because I think this section of 1 Peter makes the same claim. That we as Christians are supposed to be made of certain things as christians, yet certain things/trials/events are coming our way to "test" us, to "grieve" us - in order to see what is inside of us. Its the cutting that reveals what we are made of.

So during our time looking at the passage, there are 3 questions that i want us to look at the text through:

What is the great revealer in the Christian faith?

What should we be made of? What does 1 Peter 1 tell us should be true of the Christian?

What reasons does Peter state as to why we should be this way?

Thats what i want to look at. So with that, lets read out text for tonight.

1 Peter 1:3–12 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

The great revealer in our faith is the ‘various trials’

1 Peter 1:6–7 ESV

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

“if necessary” - lol its necessary. I think the verb ‘to greive’ is what is ‘if necessary’ - because peter will later say that testing and trails should be expected. But some of them are going to be really tough. Some things will really hurt our souls. That might not be necessary for everyone, but some of us will have to endure some really dark things in our journey in this life.

But why?

Our faith needs testing. the word for ‘tested genuiness’ , is one word in the greek. δοκίμιον (dokimion) - It literally means ‘without alloy’ -

what does that mean? Its a metal working term. what is an alloy? A metal alloy is a substance that combines more than one metal or mixes a metal with other non-metallic elements.

testing - the word ‘to test’ is something you would do to a metal to test its purity. You would heat up the metal to incredibly high temps and it would bring all the impurities up to the surface of the liquid metal. Its in the furnacne that our impurites can surface.

So what does it mean that our faith needs to be ‘without alloy’? it is easy for our faith and alliegance to Jesus to get mixed up with other things. what periods of testing does in the life of the belieive is reveal our impurities so that we can take steps to remove them.

What peter says here is that we are expeirencing trials, so that the ‘testedness’ - the already tested and ‘without alloy’ness of our faith can be found to glorify God.

Thus, our trials are an oppurtunity to demonstrate a real faith. Faith is easy in the easy. Faith is hard and shown to be real in the hard.

Trails and suffering is coming. It is used to test and refine our faith. We will discuss this more later, but its good to point out as a reminder always.

The New Testament regularly sees sufferings as the road believers must travel to enter into God’s kingdom (cf. Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3–5; Jas 1:2–4). We should not deduce from this that sufferings are somehow enjoyable or that a specific reason should be assigned to each suffering; nor should we minimize the evil actions of others in inflicting suffering (Acts 2:23). Peter assured his readers, however, that God is working out his plan even in their anguish.

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 67.

Why???? Our faith is the most important thing we own. If you asked someone back then, what is the most valuable resource on earth, they would say gold. Gold was literally ‘ the gold standard’ for wealth. It even plated the ark of the covenant in the old testament. It signified the most valube and precious material on the face of the planet.

Yet Peter tells his believers that faith is ‘more valuable’ than gold!

why? Gold is perishable - and at the end of all things, it wont matter an ounce. But our faith is something that at the end of all things will matter of infinite importance.

‘even though it is tested by fire’

but even refined to 100% purity - it still wont matter in the end. it will perish in the eternal fire of God’s judgement. Note that no fire back then could get to the temprature needed to vaporize gold, thus Peter cant be saying ‘gold that perishes when tested in fire - unless he is speaking of a heavenly fire, which he might be. He is saying, gold perishes eventually - even though we test gold! we also test faith.

If faith then is the most imporant thing we own, its of vital importance that God put us in the smelting pot now to clean away all the impurities. It will be painful, but it will be worth it in the end.

The idea is quite similar to Wis 3:5–6: “Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them” (NRSV).

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 68.

and Calvin notes

Gold is, indeed, tried twice by fire; first when it is separated from its dross; and then, when a judgment is to be formed of its purity. Both modes of trial may very suitably be applied to faith; for when there is much of the dregs of unbelief remaining in us, and when by various afflictions we are refined as it were in God’s furnace, the dross of our faith is removed, so that it becomes pure and clean before God; and, at the same time, a trial of it is made, as to whether it be true or fictitious. I am disposed p 34 to take these two views, and what immediately follows seems to favour this explanation; for as silver is without honour or value before it be refined, so he intimates that our faith is not to be honoured and crowned by God until it be duly proved.

John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 33–34.

1 Peter 1:3–12 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

what are some things that should be true of a Christian according to this passage?

worship,/praise (v3, 6, 7, 9)

Hopeful (v3)

faith (v6)

adoration (glory and honor of God) (v7,8)

Love (v8)

Belief (v8)

Rejoicing (v8)

Joy (v8)

Salvation (v9)

Are these things true on you? (we’ll discuss this more later)

Before we dive in to the reasons we have for being this way, i want to just highlight how much our world is missing this things, and how badly our world needs them.

Studies show an increase in hopelessness and anxiety rising

Gallup article titled - The Next Global Pandemic: Mental Health

notes that anger, stress, worry and sadness have been on the rise globally for the past decade and all reached record highs in 2020.

Center for Disease Control (CDC) report:

In 2021 study of highschool students:

more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) reported experiencing poor mental health.

More than 1 in 5 (22%) students seriously considered attempting suicide and 1 in 10 (10%) attempted suicide

and honestly, this makes sense. Our world is a really dark place. There is so much anger, hurt, pain, suffering and bittereness in the world, and it doesnt look like thats going away any time soon. Its no

The world is quickly losing hope - so much so that people are killing themselves to get away from this world. We need hope.

So what reasons does peter give us to have hope in a hard day?

1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

“we are born again, into a hope of life” - we having a living hope. Our hope is not dead, it lives. It moves us to action. It is an animating hope that does stay locked up in the future, but cascades into our present reality.

we have a ‘living’ hope because Jesus resurected from ‘the dead’ - he beat death, and that moves us to life

AND

we have an inheritance (klēronomia) - legal term, used in wills

The future hope of believers is now described more fully. Peter selects the language of “inheritance” (klēronomia) to describe what is in store for Christians. In the Old Testament the inheritance is the land God promised to his people (Num 32:19; Deut 2:12; 12:9; 25:19; 26:1; Josh 11:23; Ps 105:11; Acts 7:5). The word is especially common in Joshua for the apportionment of the land for each tribe or family. Peter understood the inheritance, however, no longer in terms of a land promised to Israel but in terms of the end-time hope that lies before believers.15 This hope is still physical, for we learn from 2 Peter that it will be realized in a new heaven and new earth (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1–22:5). But it transcends and leaves behind the land of Palestine. Paul’s view of the inheritance was similar to Peter’s, for the inheritance is the eschatological hope of believers (Gal 3:18; 4:30; Eph 1:11, 14; 5:5; Col 1:12; 3:24). The author of Hebrews conveys a similar idea, saying that the patriarchs ultimately hoped for a heavenly country and city

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 62.

aphtharton, amianton, amaranton - 3 ‘a’ word aliterations

imperishalbe - meaning that it is not subject to decay, unable to be worn out with the passage of time

undefiled - it cant take on sin (used of Jesus and the purity of marriage)

The LXX frequently uses the related verb ‘defile’ to speak of ceremonial defilement which made a person or thing unfit to come before God in worship (Exod. 20:25; Lev. 11:24, 43, 44; 13:3, 8, 11; Num. 19:13, 20), and of moral defilement of the land by sin (Num. 35:34; Deut. 24:4; Jer. 2:7; 3:2; cf. Num. 5:13–29; Deut. 21:23; Hos. 5:3; 6:10). Peter invites contemplation of a heavenly inheritance unpolluted by sin and containing nothing unworthy of God’s full approval.

Wayne A. Grudem, 1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 17, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 62.

unfading - it doesnt lose its color like clothes

we have an internal inheritance in heaven that will last forever - peter gives us three words to emphasize this point. Our inheritanance is eternal.

Karl Marx complained that religion is the opiate of oppressed people. Was Peter making that mistake here by reminding those who are suffering of eternal life? Not at all. We should remind ourselves, first of all, that Peter was not exempt from suffering himself. He was not speaking as a rich and comfortable person to those who are experiencing difficulties. The promise of an eternal inheritance is abused if it becomes a means by which the poor are oppressed. And yet many of those who are suffering in this world find no relief and no justice. Marx offers nothing to them, since his only paradise is a worldly one—a paradise that most in this world never experience. The fundamental issue is that Marx did not believe in a heavenly inheritance. Peter did believe in it, and it provides a great incentive for those suffering, reminding them that the veil of tears will not last long, that a great reward is laid up for those who are faithful.

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 63.

not directly in the text -but what we know is that Peter - the person who SAW jesus christ in the flesh, is writing this message to them. I saw Jesus, he denied him, but after seeing the reseurected Lord, he gave up everything to spread this message - eventually leading him to be crucified upside down for this message. He was beaten for this message, he was imprissoned for this message -

we have faith, because we have reliable witnesses who have declared to us this message , a message they went to the grave for

Adoration (glory and honor of God)

Love (v8)

Belief (v8)

Rejoicing (v8)

Joy (v8)

Salvation (v9)

We are being guarded by Gods power - the outcome of our faith is this salvation. If it was in our own power, we wouldnt really have a lot of confidence in this. But our salvation is in Gods power, not ours.

What is something that is currently "testing" or "grieving" you?

What are some things that are coming out of you lately, that might not align with Peters characteristics of a Christian?

As one of our own poets has said:

“What are you standing on, when this life gets rough and long?Do you cling to something sure, that is able to endure?

What are you standing on, when this world can be so wrong? does it carry through, when skies are blue? What are you standing on?

Does it stand against the strongest wind? Does it fill your soul with happiness? Is it enough to keep you fighting for you life? - Lydia Simonds

What are you standing on?

What is a practical step you can take towards being a better picture of v3-8 in the midst of our trials?

What are you made of? (1 Pt 1:3-12)

Intro

Trails, the great revealer

What we should be made of?

We need these things in the world

Why should we be that way?

Worship/praise/joy/rejoicing - Why do we worship?

Faith/Belief - Why do we have faith?

Application group questions: